Picking the right cargo luggage carrier.
Vacation has arrived and your family is ready to hit the road. Or,
maybe vacation is still several months away and you realize the mountain of gear
that needs to go with you has to be packed somewhere. Looking at your
family wagon you're probably thinking, 'putting all that gear in the car is like putting
10 pounds of sand into a 5 pound bag'. Where is it all going to
go? At LakelandGear, we've been helping travelers pack since 1997 and we
know a bit about cars. Let us help by making the following suggestions.
1. Look at your car, aside from the obvious trunk or interior cargo area,
what features do you have built in to assist packing? Do you have a
factory luggage rack on the roof. This is a big asset to help you haul
cargo. If you don't have a luggage rack you may consider adding one, by
visiting your local car dealer, or you can aftermarket sport bars which you can
find in most high end sporting goods stores. Many vehicles today have receivers
in back. These square "holes" if you will are usually 2" or
1.25" in size so you can install a hitch to pull a trailer, bike rack,
cargo box or other accessory. We'll discuss cargo boxes below.
2. Packing gear on the roof considerations: Understand you and
your crew are going to have to lift, duffel bags, tents, bicycles, what ever up
to the roof level or higher. Usually this isn't a problem for most people,
but an important consideration. You can usually sand in the door,
tailgate, bumper or even on the tire and have people hand stuff up to you.
There are light weight wheel steps that a quick and convenient.
3. Next consider aerodynamics. Car top carriers come in all shapes and
sizes. There are both car top boxes and car top bags that are designed
specifically to slice the wind. Many car top bags are box shaped. while
not as aerodynamic, you generally won't feel the difference while driving and
you will only see a minor difference at the pump. If you have gear that
must go to make your vacation fun, by all means pack it, the minor difference in
fuel costs shouldn't ruin your fun.
4. Carriers for the roof, Pack-Right car
top bags or hard shell boxes?
Which way to go? Here are some considerations, and we'll put the advantage
in parenthesis; Easy to install and take off (bag). Many people install a roof
box and leave it on. Consider parking garages, and your garage height.
Easy to load gear (box). Security of cargo (even). Boxes and bags both
lock. Car
top carrier bags are easy to take off at night and lock in the car or motel room. Car top bags
should be packed full so the material doesn't flap in the wind, while boxes
should be packed full so gear doesn't rattle around inside. Aerodynamics (box)
although there are a few Pack-Right car top bags, that have an aerodynamic
shape. See Sport
1 and Sport
3. Cost (car top bags) rooftop bags are much less expensive. Storage when not in use
( car top bag)
fold up and pack away in a small space. Even keep one in the trunk. Packing odd size or large objects (bag) they are
flexible so you can pack taller things and wider so generally bigger objects can
fit inside. Packing skis (box) most boxes are long and designed for skis which
can't fit inside bags.
5. If you have a 2" Class III receiver on your vehicle you have a
lot of options. If you have a 1.25" receiver, you still have options but
only for a smaller bike rack or lighter loads, because they are on smaller
cars. If you don't have a receiver you can usually find a trailer or hitch
place to install one in the yellow pages. Hitch mount cargo boxes
and platforms are
growing in popularity. LakelandGear.com features cargo
boxes that swing away from the vehicle, so you move the load
away from the back of the car for easy access. They are easy to install
and easy to load since they are closer to the ground that roof boxes. Security,
you'll want a locking hitch pin to lock the carrier to your car.
LakelandGear hitch mount cargo boxes are secure with a strong lock in the lid.
Generally these boxes aren't so big that they cover your tail or brake lights.
Most come with a hitch tightener. This helps
secure the load in the receiver and keeps it from rattling around.
6. In addition there are cargo platforms that fit into receivers.
Basically these are steel platforms, some of the better ones also have the swing
out feature. LakelandGear offers a hitch mount
platform that swings out from the car. This is handy if you leave the platform installed on
your car. Its much easier to park and maneuver with the carrier folded up
against the car. You can pack large objects that wouldn't fit into a
box. There are large cargo bags you can load gear into and strap onto the
platform. You would consider a locking hitch pin and some type of cable
lock to lock the gear to the platform for security. Another feature to
look for is the platform coating. Paint will eventually scratch and rust
will start to form. Better units are powder coated with is a special
application of thick coating that is much more durable than paint.
7. BRAND NEW: Pack-Right
Cargo Saddlebag aka car back carrier.
This innovative cargo device is a large bag that
suspends from your luggage rack on the back of your
car. Just like a horse or motorcycle
saddlebag. Easy to load and no aerodynamic
drag. High level of water protection and
totally water tight with the optional liner.
The bag rides under the rear window so your view is
not blocked. OR if you like the dual functionality
of a car top carrier AND a car back carrier, order
the Car
Back Carrier Alternative. Our deluxe car
top carrier with car clips so you can suspend it
behind the car as well. This also works well
for those that want the Cargo Saddlebag but do not
have a luggage rack.
Basically it all boils down to is, where do you want to load gear? On
top or behind your car? If you have any questions, you can email, David
Schaefer the owner of LakelandGear.com, he's been packing for vacations since
1963. Use the contact us button.